Factors Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer in Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, 2019: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract BackgroundCervical cancer is a preventable and curable disease if detected early enough. But, several numbers of women in Ethiopia strive for treatment when the disease has extended to last stage. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer morbidity and the leading cause of women mortality related to cancer in Ethiopia. Delayed in diagnosis is the main reason for cervical cancer mortality in Ethiopia. The main objective of this study was to assess factors associated with delayed diagnoses of cervical cancer in Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. MethodsInstitution based cross-sectional study was conducted. Randomly selected 422 cervical cancer patients were interviewed and their medical records were reviewed. Data was entered using Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the association between independent and the outcome variables. ResultA total of 422 women were enrolled in our study yielding a response rate of 97.1%. The mean age of the women was 50 years (SD ±11.5). Half of the participants (50%) were can’t read and write, and 66.3% of participants income were <500 Ethiopian Birr (approximately 14 USD). Most (86.3%) of the women had delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer. Women who have <500 Ethiopian Birr (14 USD) income (adjusted OR=3.79, CI: 1.48, 9.67), haven’t awareness of cervical cancer disease (adjusted OR=1.33, CI: 1.05, 2.71) and haven’t awareness about cervical cancer screening (adjusted OR=1.64, CI: 1.16, 4.07) were more likely for delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer. ConclusionOur study reports a high prevalence of delayed diagnosis of women with cervical cancer. High level of illiteracy, low socioeconomic status, lack of awareness, traditional healers and absence of routine screening program, were accountable for delayed diagnosis of cervical cancer. Raising awareness, increasing access and improving health services for cancer should be promoted and advocated to decrease the usual delay of cervical cancer diagnosis.